8 Needed Tips for Fitness Trends Business

1. Structure your health club business. Select a business structure with a Certified Public Accountant familiar with health-related businesses. Contact a commercial insurance agent with similar experience, plus strong liability background. Obtain a business license from your city or county clerk’s office. Ask your state department of revenue if you must pay sales taxes on your health club income. Visit your city’s health department, and ask if your club requires a pre-opening inspection.

2. Select a visible and accessible location. Find a location easily reached by main roads, with at least two driveways, and with plenty of parking. Obtain written zoning approval before you sign a lease. Work with a sign-making company to create vibrant, colorful graphics that invite visitors. Design your interior to include a resistance training area and a fitness classroom with a specialty aerobics floor. Tuck a quiet yoga and Pilates room into one corner.

3. Analyze your regional competition. Obtain a regional map, and pinpoint the locations of existing health clubs and fitness centers within a half-hour’s drive. Visit clubs in nearby towns to observe their facilities, equipment, and fitness classes. Pay attention to unfilled market niches you can exploit. Examples include popular ethnic dance classes and several types of yoga and Pilates classes.

Needed Tips for Fitness Trends Business

4. Determine your services and prices. Visit your city’s Chamber of Commerce, and obtain demographic information on the age and income groups within your service area. Contact your chamber through the United States Chamber of Commerce. Utilize your market information, as well as data on popular national fitness trends, to design programs that attract fitness-focused members. Develop a pricing structure that covers your expenses and rewards members who make longer time commitments.

5. Order your workout equipment. Work with a fitness equipment manufacturer to design a well-rounded selection of workout equipment that fits into your available space. Position the equipment so members can easily perform a circuit routine along with cardio work. Develop a payment structure that works with your budget.

6. Hire certified and versatile fitness staff. Find certified fitness instructors, certified personal trainers, and specialty class instructors who enjoy helping clients stay fit. Seek employees with more than one certification for maximum class and fitness floor coverage. Recruit staff from local colleges with fitness programs, and browse a national fitness professional directory to locate certified trainers and instructors in your service area (See Resources).

Needed Tips for Fitness Trends Business

7. Host a grand opening celebration. Launch your health club with festivities that include fitness demonstrations, hourly giveaways, and healthy refreshments. Introduce grand opening special pricing, and provide an imprinted gear bag for all new members who enroll that day. Schedule a live remote broadcast on a popular radio station, and advertise the event in the health pages of local newspapers and community publications.

8. Market to Chamber of Commerce members. Join your city’s chamber, and visit member businesses with special group rate packages. Host a business open house to introduce your facility to employees, and offer a prize for the business with the newest members. Donate to the winning business’ favorite charity as well.

Needed Tips for Fitness Trends Business

Things Needed

• Business structure documentation
• Insurance documentation
• Business license
• Sales tax license (if applicable)
• Health department inspection certificate (if applicable)
• Written zoning approval
• Regional map
• Written information on the competition
• City demographic information
• Membership pricing structure
• Workout equipment order
• Entry forms for grand opening giveaways
• Imprinted gear bags for giveaways
• Radio rates and spot copy
• Ad rates and copy for newspaper ads
• Ad rates and copy for community publications
• Business package rate information